Monsters
by CaptainMonochrome
Summary: After the events in "Animals," Logan and Rin return to America, and to Xavier's Institute. Rin seeks help from Professor X to control his own mind, while Logan tries to acclimate to life with the X-men once again. Little do they know, they are from finished with the ancient gods of Japan. Rated T for mild violence and some language.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello again readers! Welcome back - here's the first chapter of the sequel I promised. I'm pretty busy with Gishwhes right now, so the next chapter probably won't be out for at least another few days. If you haven't already read my previous fic _Animals_, you can read it here. This story might be a little confusing if you haven't read it yet. I'm really excited about this story, and hope you enjoy it as well! I'm a little less familiar with the X-men characters than the Blue Exorcist characters, but I'll try my best to keep everyone in character. If you have any advice or comments, feel free to include them in a review or inbox me. Whew! Sorry for the long message. With all that said - please enjoy this chapter, and thank you for reading!_

Logan put the car in park, then sat there for a moment, staring at the old mansion. A few kids were wandering about outside, huddled around a boy with a video game, shooting hoops, or just talking. The scene, so familiar, seemed so strange after all this time. After everything they had been through, the world carried on. He hoped he still had a place in it.

"Are you sure about this?" Yukio asked quietly from the shotgun seat, wide eyes searching Logan's expression.

"Well, it's a little late to back out now, Wolf Man," Shura leaned forward, jutting her head in between the two front seats with an annoyed expression, "It's been a long day, and I'm about to pee my pants. So please, if you're done with your little moment, can we go inside?"

Logan glared at her, but she glared right back. It had been part of their arrangement with Mephisto that Shura come along to keep an eye on Rin. Logan had agreed for the kid's sake, but he was starting to regret that decision. Logan didn't mind Rin at all - well, mostly. He was a bit hyperactive, and twitchy - but Logan was glad to bring him along. Shura, on the other hand, had been a pain in his neck ever since the plane left Japan.

"Whoa! That kid just teleported!" Rin exclaimed from the backseat, pressing his face against the window, mouth open in amazement.

"Yeah, that's what we meant by powers, kid," Logan grunted, killing the engine and hopping out of the car. A few kids glanced their way uncertainly, then went back to their own business. He wondered if there were any students here who remembered him...

"Logan?"

He turned to see Storm standing on some stone steps a short distance away. She was frozen, staring at him as if looking at a ghost. He stared back, with a similar expression on his face. She had cut her hair short and spiked it up, but he recognized her instantly, even after all these years. A pang of nostalgia seized his chest, but he tried to shrug it off with a grin and a wave. Slowly, still slightly incredulous, she walked towards him.

"Hey, Storm. Long time no see," Logan half laughed.

She quickened her pace and then enveloped him in a embrace, squeezing him tight "Too long. I'm just glad you're home."

He raised his head and looked at the old mansion. It was strange, to call a place home.

"Yeah, I'm home," he answered under his breath. Storm stepped back but he kept his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye.

"I heard that the Professor..."

"It's true - he's alive. I'm sure he's already aware of your arrival. Come on, I'll take you to him," her eyes were still full of unspoken questions, and a bittersweet happiness shone in them. But she merely looked over his shoulder, "Mind introducing me to your friends first?"

Logan turned around, having nearly forgotten about the others, who were standing by the car. Yukio and Shura looked impatient for Logan's reunion to be done with, but Rin was distracted, watching the students play basketball. Apparently they were allowing powers this round, or the game had just gotten out of hand. Kids were teleporting, using sonic blasts, or snatching the ball with telekinesis. Rin was staring with round eyes, mouth slightly agape.

When Shura put him in a chokehold and rapped her knuckles on the top of his head, though, he was yanked unceremoniously from his reverie, "We got you a new student, lady."

Storm raised a brow at Logan, mischief in her eyes, "He yours?"

Logan nearly choked, and Rin squirmed in Shura's grip, "What!? No way!"

Clearing his throat, Logan offered a brief introduction, "This is Yukio, that's Shura - they're...friends. And the kid's Rin. He's a mutant we picked up in Japan, and we thought this would be a good place for him."

They had already decided to keep Rin's true identity a secret. Not only would that add unnecessary tension and confusion to their situation, but the entire point of this trip was for Rin to go undercover. Storm raised an eyebrow, but only said, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Rin. I'm sure you'll love it here."

Rin broke free of Shura's grasp and smiled sheepishly at Storm, his tail wavering shyly behind him "Yeah, I hope so. Um...does everyone here have powers?"

"You could put it that way, yes. All the students here were born with special genes that give them certain abilities - just like you."

"Yeah, well, I guess that much is true," Rin muttered under his breath, causing Shura to dig her elbow into his ribs. Storm glowered, narrowing her eyes at the scantily clad woman.

"I'm sorry, who are you exactly?"

"I'm this kid's guardian. I'll be sticking around to keep an eye on him."

"I assure you that won't be necessary. All our teachers are fully qualified to-"

"I'm staying. Now where's this professor everyone keeps yammering about? I'd like to talk to him directly."

Storm's annoyance was only thinly veiled as she led Shura and Rin towards the mansion, the kid's tail twitching nervously as he looked around in either excitement or worry. Logan and Yukio followed, quietly observing, different thoughts and doubts swirling distractedly in their minds.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Yukio asked, eyeing Logan's haggard expression with a mix of skepticism and concern.

Running a hand down his face, he sighed, "Well, it's like she said. It's a little late to back out now."

The halls were hauntingly familiar, once again filled with the happy faces of children. Well, happy was relative. Some were complaining about homework or still trying to fully wake up; but they were safe, and healthy, and overall living a good life. These halls were filled with hope - something Logan was just now learning to feel again.

Rin was walking beside Storm, listening with surprising focus as she informed him of various classes and facilities around the school, sometimes gesturing into a room or out a window. Occasionally a student with a physical mutation, such as blue skin or spikes, would pass by and Rin's eyes would go wide, following the kid down the hall until snapping back to Storm's voice.

It reminded him of the first time Logan had stumbled upon the academy. Of course, his arrival had been a lot more confusing and hostile - but the sense of wonder at discovering others like him was the same.

These kids weren't the same as Rin, though.

"The professor is going to know Okumura isn't a mutant, Logan. You said he can read minds," Yukio said softly, as if she were the one reading his mind.

"Yeah, I know that. Better than most," Logan responded curtly. He still hadn't wrapped his mind around the fact that the professor was alive and well. He had seen the man ripped apart on an atomic level. Disintegrated. Logan wasn't sure if even he himself could come back from something like that.

"What do you think he'll say?"

He took a breath to answer, but paused - they had arrived. Storm knocked gently on the familiar door, then pushed it open when a deep voice answered from within. A voice Logan never thought he would hear again.

Charles Xavier rolled his chair out from behind the desk, smiling warmly at their group. His eyes, crinkled up at the edges, met with Logan's - whose own eyes were widening with disbelief and relief.

"Hello Logan, it's wonderful to see you again."


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello dear readers! First, thank you for all the kind reviews! I'm always grateful for your kind words and enthusiasm! Second, I want to apologize for the lengthy absence. My computer crashed – I'm trying to get it repaired. Right now I'm using a friend's laptop. I will try to update as regularly as possible, but it might be difficult. I fully intend to finish this story and will do my best to get chapters out as soon as possible! Sorry for making you wait! With that said – hope you enjoy this chapter!_

Rin's eyes flashed between the bald old man and Logan, who was staring at the dude with disbelief. His mouth opened slightly, but no words passed his lips. Before he could make a second attempt at speaking, Shura shoved past Logan with an annoyed glance.

"Well if you're not going to say anything, I will," she rested her fists on her hips and stood before the professor, completely unabashed.

"So you're Professor X. The mind reader."

He laughed a little, but it wasn't a harsh or mocking laugh. It was gentle and kind – Rin had heard that type of laugh before. When he and Yukio were younger, growing up in the church, the Old Man had laughed like that. Not when he was making dirty jokes or poking fun at Rin, but when he thought no one was listening. Maybe it was that, or the way his eyes crinkled up at the corners, or just some innate instinct – but Rin decided he liked this professor guy.

"Well, some know me as that – my real name is Charles Xavier. And yes, you could call me a mind reader."

"Prove it."

"I apologize, sir, we-" Yukio gave a little bow, trying to edge in front of Shura while still retaining her composure. She was obviously trying to make up for Shura's brash entrance with a more polite introduction – but Shura wasn't having any of it.

"Don't tell him anything, Yukio. I want to see what this guy is really made of."

Rin watched, curious; but the Professor didn't speak. He merely tilted his head slightly and locked eyes with Shura. For a moment nothing happened – but suddenly she gasped and took a step back, staring at Xavier with shocked eyes. Quickly regaining her cool, she crossed her arms and leaned nonchalantly against the wall.

"Okay, you're really a telepath. That still doesn't mean I trust you."

Rin's eyes went wide, staring at the professor in awe. He had experienced telepathy before, like when he had first heard Kuro speaking, but that had been mostly by accident. And when Iha-naga had taken over his mind…but he didn't want to think about that. This guy, though – he was the real deal.

"We came here for his help. You should show more respect," Yukio hissed under her breath, glaring at Shura. Before Shura could respond, Logan spoke.

"So it's really you," he said as everyone else fell silent.

"Of course, Logan. I know this must be rather shocking, but I assure you it is really me," Xavier said, expression growing serious.

"But…how? I saw you die!"

"Perhaps that is a question best left for another time," Xavier said softly, inclining his head towards the others. Logan's eyes darted towards Rin, standing awkwardly to the side of the professor's desk, 'We do have guests, after all."

For a moment it looked like Logan was going to let it go, but suddenly he clenched his fists and furrowed his brow, "We all thought you were dead, Charles. Jean..."

"I know. I'm so sorry. If I could have done anything – "

"You can tell me how you're still alive, and she's still dead!"

"Logan, we can discuss this later," Charles intoned, voice calm and even although incredible emotion danced in his eyes.

"I've spent years –" Logan began, but suddenly fell silent. Rin glanced from the professor to Logan, then back again.

"Whoa – are they speaking telepathically?" he whispered to Yukio, who shrugged.

"It's a little rude to whisper when others are in the room, don't you think?" Shura complained loudly, rolling her eyes. Xavier cleared his throat, and Logan merely glared out the window, studying the horizon with unnecessary intensity. The Professor carried on as though nothing had happened.

"My apologies. Logan, would you mind introducing your friends?"

"Sure. You've met Shura. This is Yukio, and that's Rin," Logan barked gruffly, jabbing a thumb in their direction as he introduced them to the professor, who smiled warmly at all of them.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I understand Rin is going to be a new student here – is that right?"

Rin gulped, "Y-yes sir! If you'll have me," he wasn't sure why he was so nervous, but his hands were sweating. Noticing his tail was swishing around rapidly behind him, he grabbed it and tried to stand a little taller. Rin usually didn't give a shit about school – the only classes he really cared about were cram school courses. But he found himself getting excited about this place – if everyone here had powers, maybe he could finally fit in. And this Professor X was really a telepath – according to Logan, one of the strongest ever. Maybe he really could help Rin.

"Of course, we're eager to help any young student who comes to our door," Xavier said, then raised an eyebrow at Rin, "Whether they're a mutant or not."

* * *

Yukio stepped out of the classroom, closing the door behind him as the cram school students packed up their things. The class had been strangely quiet and orderly since Rin left. Shiemi especially seemed more distracted than usual.

Not that he could say anything – he was constantly worrying about his brother, more so than ever. And that was saying something. Adjusting his glasses, he straightened his shoulders. He couldn't spend his time imagining the worst – he just had to be prepared. Stay focused. He couldn't get distracted.

"Yukio Okumura?"

An exorcist had appeared in the hallway, fixing Yukio with a serious look.

"Yes, that's me."

"You've been summoned by Sir Pheles. He needs to see you immediately."

"What? Did he say why?"

"It's concerning the events on Mt. Fuji."

Or maybe he could worry a little more.


	3. Chapter 3

_Once again, I apologize for the long gaps between posting! My computer is still broken ( T~T ) but I hope to have it repaired soon! Anyways - Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy! ( ^u^ )_

Yukio stood before Mephisto – or rather, behind him. The principal was perched on a giant beanbag, slurping fruit milk through a straw while his fingers blurred across the buttons of a video game controller. A huge television was set up against the wall, and two ridiculously dressed fighters were punching each other out on screen.

With a sigh, Yukio pushed his glasses up, "Excuse me, sir? I was told you wanted to see me."

"Yeah, yeah, that's right. I had a question I wanted to ask you."

One of the fighters on screen let out a mighty roar and picked the other up, slamming the player's back into his knee and tossing him to the ground like a sack of trash. Raising his hands in the air, the champion struck a pose while confetti rained down around him.

"K.O.!" an announcer shouted. Mephisto didn't seem interested in his own victory, however; instead, he rolled his eyes towards Yukio.

"The Heart Shard of the god Okuninushi."

Something dark in the principal's expression made Yukio uneasy, but he forced his expression to stay calm, "What about it?"

"What happened to it?"

"The last I saw of it, Logan had it. I assumed he turned it over to the order."

Mephisto sucked down another gulp of fruit milk, then scratched his chin, "Hmm. Logan said the heart shard vanished when Kono-hana appeared. I suppose the goddess took it with her?"

Yukio narrowed his eyes – where was Mephisto hoping to get with this line of questioning?

"Then it seems it is in the hands of the goddess."

"So it would seem. We have nothing to fear from Kono-hana, of course. She has no desire to harm humans, after all. And she has little tolerance for the evil demons Iha-naga had summoned, so I wonder what she's done with that fragment."

"Perhaps she destroyed it, to stop anyone from using its power again."

"That would be unfortunate," Mephisto muttered, and Yukio's eyebrow twitched. He knew the old demon was up to something. Before he could speak, however, Mephisto disappeared in a puff of violet smoke. Coughing a bit, Yukio stepped back, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the mist.

"That said, we have some disturbing reports from some of our…correspondents with access to information in Gehenna. It seems the spirit world is astir," Mephisto was now standing behind his desk, flipping open his phone and texting someone.

"The spirit world?"

"The unseen world of spirits and magic – Okuninushi's realm of power."

Yukio paled, "You think the two are connected?"

"Who knows? If Kono-hana really has the heart fragment, then I don't suppose we have much to worry about," Mephisto grinned darkly, snapping his phone shut, "But this isn't any problem of yours, is it, Professor Okumura? You have your own concerns."

Yukio clenched his fists, "Has the Order asked about Rin?"

"Oh yes, of course. You didn't think they were just going to ignore his disappearance, did you? But don't worry – I put them off your trail, for now. Besides, I have a feeling these recent developments will keep them busy for a while."

Mephisto sat down, furiously tapping his phone. For a moment Yukio thought he was sending an urgent message, but when the sound of beeps and chimes reached his ears he realized the principal was playing another game.

"Is that all, sir?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. You can go now. But be careful – I stalled the Grigori, but they still have their suspicions. They won't let you go so easily."

Yukio frowned, then headed out the doors. Everything about that conversation had set him on edge. Had Logan lied about the heart shard – and if so, why? What did it have to do with Okuninushi and the spirit world? And most of all – were the Grigori onto Rin? He was so distracted with his own thoughts, he paid little attention to the long, shadowy corridor he was walking down. Suddenly, though, he was struck with the feeling of being watched. Spinning around, he surveyed the hallway – but it was empty.

Had the Grigori put a tail on him? Or was he just being paranoid?

"Damn it, Mephisto," he cursed, hurrying the rest of the way before breaking into the sunlit outdoors. If something was going on, he needed to know about it. Especially if it could lead the Grigori to Rin. Suddenly his memories flashed back to the fight with Iha-naga, an image of her holding aloft the heart shard, it's thick miasma swirling around like a swarm of pure evil. He gritted his teeth – something even worse than the Grigori could be coming.

* * *

Rin gulped again, "What?"

Charles interlaced his fingers, fixing a steady stare on Rin's nervous face, "I don't mean to brag, Rin, but I've gotten pretty good at reading people over the years. I know you're not a mutant, but I know you're not human. So what are you exactly? Don't worry – there's no need to be afraid."

Rin creakily swiveled his head to peer at Shura, who was giving him a glare worse than any demon's and shaking her head slightly. He knew they had decided to keep his identity secret, but if the Professor already knew…

"He's a demon," Logan said abruptly.

"Oi! Way to spill the beans, Bigfoot!"

Xavier raised his eyebrows, leaning back slightly as if absorbing this information, "A demon? I can't say I've ever met a demon before."

"Hey! I'm only a half demon!" Rin declared in his defense.

"We're sorry to bring this upon you, Professor. We thought we could seek shelter here, and that perhaps you could help train Rin…you've helped so many others, I've heard," Yukio said, once again attempting to diffuse the tension in the room.

"What's the big deal? The kid's a dem – a half demon," Logan corrected himself when Rin shot him a huffing glare, "Look, Professor – look into my mind. You'll see."

With a deep breath, Charles nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating. Logan closed his eyes as well, and the room was quiet for a moment while the professor searched his memories, replaying the strange events he had been thrust into recently. In another moment, they both opened their eyes, blinking as if coming out of a dream.

"He's not so different from the rest of us. It may be a little hard to believe, but this kid saved all our asses. You can trust him," Logan said earnestly, causing Rin's eyes to fall.

"As unbelievable as it may seem, I do believe you," Charles said softly, fixing his eyes on Rin. Feeling the old man's stare, Rin finally glanced up – but he didn't see the fear or repulsion he expected. Instead, something much kinder twinkled in the guy's eyes.

"I thought I had finally grown too old to be surprised, Rin Okumura. But you have proven me wrong. Welcome to our Institute – I hope you find yourselves at home among us."


	4. Chapter 4

Rin had been excited. He really had.

Charles had given he, Shura and Yukio a tour of the school, and everything seemed awesome. There was a lake on the grounds, with kids sprawled across the shore or paddling towards the center in canoes.

"Whoa, dude! You have boats at this school? I wanna ride one!"

"They're called canoes, you idiot. And no," Shura brutally crushed his dreams and dragged him away from the sparkling lake and warm sunshine raining down from the clear blue sky.

And now here he was, stuck behind another desk. He knew it was a school, of course, but walking around and seeing the elaborate campus and extensive grounds had been a lot more interesting than sitting in another classroom. It was a pretty cool classroom, as rooms go – tall windows lined the wall to his right, tantalizing the students with the beautiful view outdoors. The wood paneled walls were hung with elegantly framed posters of various diagrams and scientific illustrations. There were rows of plants lined up against the windows, some faring better than others – presumably some biology project the kids were working on. With a sigh, he slumped a little further into his seat and stared at the plants – he was sure Shiemi would know what each one was called.

After the tour, Charles had asked if Rin would like to sit in on a class and see how he liked it. He had instantly agreed, eyes wide and eager. In a school full of super heroes he had thought things would be a little more interesting. But it was just a regular class like any other.

Well, one of the kids had gills, so there was that.

When he had first taken his seat, he had stared at the kid with gills, amazed that such a person existed. And that no one else seemed shocked by his appearance. Eventually someone had leaned forward and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Dude, keep your tail still. It's annoying."

Flushing, Rin had nodded and tucked his tail under his leg. After that, his enthusiasm quickly waned.

"Excuse me, Mr. Okumura, am I boring you?"

Storm was the professor, the same lady that they had met when they first arrived. Sitting up straight, Rin shook his head, "N-no ma'am! Sorry!"

A little smile flashed across her features before she turned back to the board and continued her lecture. Rin focused his eyes – right. It was just like Yukio was always saying – he was going to have to try a lot harder if he was going to succeed. Before, he had always believed he would be fine so long as he could fight. Yukio had gotten all the brains, but up until now Rin had been fine with the brawn. But after Iha-naga… maybe if his mind had been stronger, he could have resisted. Either way, there was too much hanging in the balance for him to slack off now.

"Whoa, scary. What's up with that face?"

Rin blinked, the harsh whisper pulling him from his thoughts. Interally groaning, he rubbed his face in frustration – he had zoned out again!

Suddenly someone on his left kicked him under the table, and he turned to see a kid with spiky blonde hair staring at him with a mocking expression.

"I said what's up with that face?"

"My face?"

The kid screwed his face up into a fierce scowl, "Yeah. You looked like you were gonna murder someone. What are you, some psycho?"

Rin blanked out – he hadn't even realized he was making a face. He was still stuttering, trying to think of a snappy comeback, when Storm slammed her hand on the desk and made everyone in the class jump.

"John, can I help you with something?"

The spiky-haired kid leaned back in his chair, kicking one of his feet up on the desk, "I told you, teach, the name's Pyro."

"Alright, Pyro. No talking in class," her eyes were fierce, flashing with barely concealed fury. Rin thought she was overreacting over someone whispering in class, but he was just glad she didn't yell at him. John, or Pyro, just smiled sardonically.

"Whatever you say, teach."

When class was over, Rin stood uncertainly by his desk, not sure where to go next. Logan, Shura and the others had disappeared – probably getting a grand tour of the super secret X-men base under the school Logan had told him about. Grinding his teeth, he seethed with jealously just thinking of all the cool stuff he was missing out on.

He was about to ask Storm where he should go, or if he could go see the jet Logan had talked about, but suddenly someone had thrown a friendly arm around his shoulders and was guiding him out the door into the corridor.

"Rin, was it? I've never seen you around here before – you must be the new kid I've heard about."

It was the spiky-haired dude from earlier, "Pyro, right?"

Pyro gave him a grin, "You know why they call me Pyro?"

"Uh, no?"

In one smooth movement, the kid flipped out a lighter and snapped it open, producing a small flame.

"Because of this," he flung his index finger toward the nearest window like a gun and the flame flowed with his movement, shooting out in a small streak and flying towards the window like a comet. It died out just before reaching the glass, evaporating in a puff of smoke.

"Whoa – no way!" Rin cried as Pyro snapped the lighter shut and tucked it in his pocket.

"Yeah, I can control fire. Most of the people here are scared of me – because what I can do."

"I don't really get why you're called Pyro, though."

"Like Pyromaniac. You know…someone who starts fires," he looked a little disappointed that Rin didn't get it, but Rin was too distracted to notice.

"That's awesome! I never thought I'd meet someone who can do what I-"

"Hey, John. You know we're not supposed to use powers inside the school."

Rin was cut off as another student across the hallway called out to them. It was a blue eyed boy with dark hair cut short, and his expression was just as angry and tight as Storm's had been.

"I told you, Bobby, the name's Pyro."

Bobby stomped up to them, completely ignoring Rin, and snarled in Pyro's face.

"Maybe back then, but here you're not Pyro. You're nobody. You don't even deserve to be here."

Upper lip trembling, Pyro snapped the lighter out of his pocket, but Bobby was quicker, slapping it out of his hand. Now that he was defenseless, Bobby picked Pyro, or John, up by his shirt collar and slammed him against the wall. Nearby students began to notice the fight and backed up, clearing a space for the two boys. Only Rin remained where he was standing.

"I oughta beat the shit out of you," Bobby hissed.

Pyro sneered, "Do it!"

Bobby's face twisted in anger, and he raised a fist, but before the punch could land Rin caught his arm.

"Back off," Bobby shouted. When Rin didn't move, he glared at the new kid, only to be met with the dead cold glare of two blue eyes that almost seemed to be glowing.

"You're the one who needs to back off."

"Listen, kid, you're new here. You don't understand what's going on. So just mind your own-"

"I understand fine what's going on – it's not hard to figure out!"

Rin shoved Bobby back, a little harder than he meant to, but the other boy caught his balance before falling.

"Now leave him alone. I know a bully when I see one."

Rin stood in front of Pyro, filled with anger. He thought everyone here was supposed to be accepted, no matter who they were or what they were. But apparently this place wasn't as different as he thought. Pyro could control fire, and they were scared of him. So they picked on him – Rin had seen enough of that. He almost felt like he had traveled back, and was defending himself from this Bobby dude.

"He's not the one you should be defending – he's a monster!"

Rin narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists. A blue flame sprang to life and flickered across his shoulders, another rippled in his hair. For a moment, Bobby was caught off guard. Then he sprang to his feet, eyes wide.

"No!"

"Oh, cool. Thanks, kid," Pyro laughed, and suddenly Rin felt his own flame whisked off his shoulder and thrown towards Bobby. He spun around and saw Pyro smiling maniacally, controlling Rin's flame.


	5. Chapter 5

Rin cried out as the flame crashed into the place where Bobby had been standing, but luckily he had rolled out of the way before Pyro struck. The flame, which had been a small stream of blue light, was growing large and unwieldy in Pyro's control.

"Whoa, this is some powerful fire," he laughed, calling it back to his hands. When the fire landed in his palm, though, he cried out as the blue flames burned his skin, "What the hell?"

Rin concentrated, forcing himself to calm down – and the fire vanished. He turned towards Pyro with a growl, fangs bared, and punched him straight in the nose.

"Whoa, dude, I thought we were friends!"

Still steaming but trying to remain calm, Rin turned his back and walked away. His foot kicked something on the ground, a small metal rectangle. Pyro's lighter. Pausing for a moment, he picked it up and studied it.

"Come on, man, we were just messing around! Give me back my lighter! We're buds, right?"

"Like hell we are!" Rin shouted, crunching the lighter into an unrecognizable ball of bent metal and splintered plastic. He threw the ruined device at Pyro's feet and stomped down the hall, students clearing the way as he passed. He could hear their whispers and feel their stares.

Great. He had only been here one day and he was already a freak, at a school filled with freaks.

Behind him, he heard Storm calling out his name, but he gritted his teeth and ran, crashing through the front doors and speeding through the fields outside faster than any other human could run.

* * *

Logan climbed the stairs, each footstep letting out a loud metallic clang that set his nerves on edge. Top of the line secret facility packed to the brim with advanced technology, and they still had to use this rusting rattletrap of a staircase. Charles was still showing Yukio and Shura the X-men underground facilities, but Logan had insisted on getting some air.

Honestly, it was just a little overwhelming. He hadn't been here for so long – for a while he thought he would never come back. But here he was, Charles was alive…Jean was still gone.

"You've moved past that, Logan! Besides, you're not here for that. You're here for the kid."

They had dumped Rin into Storm's class and scampered off. Logan couldn't blame Charles for not wanting to expose all their secrets to the kid on the first day they had met, but Logan still felt bad for leaving Rin alone. Sure, Storm could handle him on her own, unless he went bizarro and tried to deep-fry all of them again – but he had been the one who had brought Rin here. He had stuck his neck out for the kid, and he felt some responsibility for him. And even though Rin had looked like a child in a candy shop during the tour, he knew the kid was dealing with some heavy stuff. Some dark stuff.

Logan could see behind the kid's wide smile into his eyes, and he recognized the shadow lying there. The same shadow lived in Logan, as well. But even while Logan knew he had problems, Rin's issues were on a whole other scale.

Finally, he emerged from the rattling underground staircase into the boat house's secret entrance. He said secret, but most of the kids who had been here a while knew about all the secret exits and the X-men's activity. But they also knew better than to go poking their noses where they didn't belong.

The familiar scent of the lake washed over his face, and with a happy sigh he stretched his cramped muscles once again. Even though they had been walking around for hours now his bum was still sore from sitting in the car for so long.

Wanting to be alone for a moment and sort out his thoughts, his memories, these conflicting feelings of happiness and sorrow at once again walking these grounds, he headed out towards the lake. Someone was already there, though. Some kid, skipping out on classes – not that Logan couldn't sympathize, but it was unusual to see someone at Xavier's school slacking off like that. At first he was going to walk the opposite direction and leave the kid alone, but when he took a second look, a slender tail uncoiled from around the kid's feet and flopped sadly in the sand.

"Rin?"

His shoulders hunched further as he ducked his head, refusing to meet Logan's eye.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class with Storm?"

"Class ended," Rin replied sullenly.

Feeling awkward, Logan crouched down beside Rin and looked out over the lake.

"Uh…you okay?"

"I think this might have been a mistake."

"What? Coming here?"

"I thought I could finally belong…but it's the same wherever I go. I don't really belong here."

"This again? I thought we went over this-"

Rin tightened his grip on his arms, "I'm serious!" he shouted, and little blue flames sprouted up in his messy black hair and clothes.

Logan's eyes went a little wide, and he held his hands up in surrender, "Whoa there, I didn't me-"

"What if I really don't belong here? What if the Grigori is right, and I…I'm belong in Gehenna?"

Logan had to pause for a moment and remember what exactly Gehenna was, "You mean the demon world?"

"That's where I'm from. Maybe that's the only place I actually belong," Rin whimpered, "I'm the son of Satan, after all."

"That's not your name," Logan said.

"What?"

"Your name's Rin Okumura. That's not a demon name. That's a human name."

Rin rubbed a hand across his nose, "So?"

"So, you were given a human name when you were born, in this world. You're one of us."

Rin sighed, not quite the effect Logan had been hoping for. He glanced up again, and this time he saw Storm walking towards them with a determined expression.

"Worry about your place in the world later, kid. You've got bigger problems now."


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks for all the reviews! I tried to take your concerns and comments in mind when writing this chapter, and hopefully in all future chapters! Thanks for bearing with me, I'm a little out of my element in the X-men universe :s Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy this chapter. _

Logan recognized her expression – and judging by Rin's state of mind, something had gone down during class. Damn, couldn't this kid stay out of trouble for at least a single day?

"Logan, I didn't expect to see you out here," Storm sighed, eliciting a shrug from Logan.

"What's going on? Did something happen at the school?"

"Your protégé here assaulted two of my students – he may have broken John's nose. Not that I can blame him," she added under her breath, but Logan was looking at Rin.

"Really? You punched a kid on the first day?"

Rin's voice was muffled when he replied, mouth hidden behind arms crossed across his knees, "He stole my flames. He was going to hurt that other kid."

"Wait, he stole your flames? Wha – wait, are you telling me, John as in Pyro? What is he doing here? Didn't he join the Brotherhood?"

Storm sighed, "A lot has changed since you left, Logan. Many of Magneto's younger followers came back to us after Alcatraz. Pyro – I mean John – is a student here now."

"Are you idiots? That bastard tried to kill us! He…if he hadn't…"

Storm set her face in a determined expression, jaw firm, "Like I said, Logan. Things have changed. We won't let past mistakes divide us, or stop us from helping those who come to us for help. No matter who they are."

"Great, just great. I'm sure there're no flaws in that plan! That bastard deserves to have his nose broken – Rin should have burned him up, and give him a taste of his own medicine!"

Logan's shout echoed across the lake, disappearing into the tree line as silence once again reigned over the scene. Storm's lips were tight, eyes full of unspoken words. Rin remained crouched where he was, simply staring out over the lake.

Storm stared at Logan a moment longer, obviously wanting to say more. Logan knew this was where he should apologize and take back his words, but he had meant it. John had been their enemy on Alctraz, he had caused a lot of damage, a lot of suffering; he had played his part in destroying Jean. Sure, he was just a kid, but Logan wasn't sure he would ever forgive him. With a grunt, he tried to move the conversation along.

"Besides, why is Rin in trouble? Shouldn't Pyro be the one getting the heat?"

"John and Bobby have already been dealt with. If Rin's going to be a student here, he has to accept discipline like one."

"Come on, Storm, give the kid a break. It's his first day."

"No. It's fine," Rin finally spoke up, rising to his feet and facing Storm, "I shouldn't have lost control. I'll take the punishment."

Storm studied him a moment, then nodded, "Alright. Come to my room after school tomorrow. We'll deal with it then."

Instead of replying, Rin suddenly tensed up, spinning around to face the lake. Something had moved – just behind him…he looked down and saw a frog at his feet.

"What, you going to incinerate the toad?" Logan huffed, but Rin was still staring at the frog. Something was off about it.

"What are you talking about?" Storm asked, eyebrows cocked in confusion.

"The frog," Logan began, but his voice died away when he glanced back at the shore of the lake – more frogs were hopping out of the lake, more big frogs. Ridiculously large frogs.

"I don't see any frog," Storm said, staring right at the frog at Rin's feet.

Before he could say anything, Rin jumped back, pushing Storm and Logan behind him. The frogs all followed his movement with their strange, brightly colored eyes.

"These aren't frogs, they're demons," Rin hissed, reaching for his sword, "That's why Storm can't see them."

"Demons? These?" Logan asked incredulously.

"Don't worry, they're small fry. I can take care of these in a cinch," he drew his sword and slashed it towards the lake in a single fluid movement, sending a wave of blue flame washing across the shoreline. The frogs let out a ribbit of distress before vaporizing into dust, the flames quickly dying out after their work was done. The gray ashes dissolved into the air, leaving behind an empty shoreline as if nothing had happened.

"What the hell? Why are there demons here?"

"There's demons everywhere – you see all these little guys, they're not bugs. They're called coal tars."

Logan blinked at the small, buzzing black shapes he had been seeing everywhere lately. He felt stupid for not questioning it before, but he had just assumed this was a bad year for beetles or something. But upon closer inspection, the tiny floating shapes weren't insects at all – but strange little round creatures with glowing eyes.

"What the hell?"

Storm glowered, "That's what I should be saying! What are you two talking about? Demons?"

Rin scratched the back of his head, laughing unconvincingly, "What? Oh – Logan will explain it."

"Me?" Logan growled, but he was interrupted when out of nowhere a giant frog burst from the center of the lake, its bulbous eyes fixed on their small group on the shore. Logan let out a curse and stumbled backward – he had fought gods on top of Mt. Fuji, but seeing a frog the size of a car paddling towards him at locomotive speeds still caught him off-guard. Rin, on the other hand, seemed in his element.

"I've dealt with reapers bigger than you, fatty," he grinned, moving to draw his sword once again.

Before he could, he was suddenly tackled by the flying form of Shura and slammed into the damp grass.

"Don't draw your sword, you idiot!" she ordered, as Yukio ran towards the demon. Two short blades appeared from some hidden fold in her clothing, and in a few brief moments she had easily dispatched the giant frog. It disappeared in a puff of dust, and she joined them on the shore as Shura hauled Rin to his feet.

"Even if what you say is true, it's unusual for there to be so many demons close by. I think something else is going on," Yukio said to Shura, glancing uneasily at the lake.

Shura grimaced, " I think you're right. But we'll have to figure that out later. For now we have to deal with this loser. I can't leave you alone for a moment! You let your flames out, didn't you?"

"It's a school of mutants! I don't have to hide my powers!"

"It's not the students we're worried about," Yukio retorted, slipping the blades inside her sleeves, "This isn't True Cross, there's nothing here to protect you from the demons."

"I knew they would find us eventually, but I was hoping to have a few days to set up barriers and wards. But you're so quick with the trigger finger you've led them right to us. Without Mephisto's spells, you're wide open. That flame of yours is like a beacon, calling all the demons right to you!" Shura exclaimed.

"Can someone please stop and tell me what is going on?" Storm demanded, stepping in between Rin and Shura. Logan glanced up, noticing the demon bugs – no, the coal tars – swarming above their heads in growing numbers. Suddenly the peaceful lakeside scene seemed vulnerable and threatening. When he left Japan, Logan thought he had been leaving the world of demons behind. He had never considered there could be monsters lurking here, just invisible to him all these years. The very thought made his hair stand on end.

"I don't have time to explain – we're about to have some big trouble. And unfortunately, you and your precious X-men won't be of any help," she turned away from Storm, staring into space and stroking her chin in thought, "The nearest outpost of the Order is miles away, but if we leave now we can make it."

"What? The Order? Aren't we supposed to be hiding from them?" Rin asked incredulously.

"The demons know you're here now, and they'll be coming. We're not prepared to combat them yet – it looks like our only choice is to give ourselves up."

"You can't do that! They want to kill Rin!" Logan shouted, grabbing Shura by the shoulder. She met him with an icy glare.

"Well, do you have any better ideas, Bigfoot?"

He paused, releasing his grip on Shura, "Actually, I think I do."


	7. Chapter 7

Rin and the others filed down the rickety stairs into the secret passage under the boathouse. Shura and Yukio had felt the demonic presence above and bolted, leaving Charles behind. When they stumbled back into the underground facility, he was waiting with a grave expression.

"Ms. Kiragakure, exactly how much danger do these demons pose to the school?"

Storm looked at Xavier with wide eyes, "Charles – what are you saying? You know about these…these demons?"

Xavier sighed, "Unfortunately, yes. They are very real, and very dangerous. And apparently invisible to us."

"How are we supposed to fight something we can't see? And why can Logan see them?"

"I don't know. I hadn't been able to see them until I went to True Cross Town," he answered gruffly.

"That demon you saw in the street probably gave you a temptaint. Enough of that, though – can we focus on your master plan, whatever it is?" Shura answered impatiently.

Storm frowned, "A temptaint?"

Xavier peered at Shura, "A temptaint is an injury sustained by a demon, and apparently it gives you the ability to see them, as well."

"Oi, old man! Keep out of my mind!"

"My apologies, but you did bring demons to my school. I think I'm privy to some information," Charles said not unkindly, but the tone of his voice indicated he was not joking around. Rin hung his head – the Professor was right. They had brought these demons to the school, and now because of Rin everyone was in danger.

"Shura, you're right. We should go – I'll only put everyone in danger by being here."

Logan clenched his fists, "Can you all just shut up? I told you I had a plan – now come on!"

He started running down the corridor, and everyone followed suit. Xavier pressed a control on his wheelchair, and the specially designed chair moved along just as quickly as the rest of them.

"Where are we going?" Yukio called to Logan, keeping pace without breaking a sweat.

"We need to get to the entrance, where we parked the car!"

"The car? Why do we need to get to the car?"

Rin furrowed his brow, flashing back to a moment during their ride to the school from the airport.

They had all been crammed in the Subaru amongst various bags, weapon cases and canisters of holy water, and Rin's stomach had been growling louder than a grizzly bear.

_"Oh my god, Rin, shut up!" Shura groaned, while Rin slumped against the window and clutched his stomach, feeling weak._

_"I'm sorry, I'm just so hungry," he whined, whimpering a little. Everyone was testy after their long trip and lack of sleep, and now they had been sitting in this car for hours while Logan drove to the mansion based on his memory._

_"Are you sure you remember the way?"_

_"Yes, Shura, now please shut up."_

_"I'm just saying, this is taking awfully long. And I don't know how much more of this I can take."_

_"I don't know how much I can take, either," Yukio muttered as Shura flopped back into her seat with an exaggerated sigh. Rin's stomach gurgled again, and he let out a little moan._

_"So…hungry…can't we stop and get some food?"_

_After a few more minutes of grumbling and whining, Logan finally pulled off at the next exit and swung into a McDonald's, stumbled through the order as everyone clamored for their food, and pulled up at the window. When she named the price, he patted his pockets only to come up empty._

_"Damn, the money is in my bag."_

_"I'll get it!" Rin twisted around in his seat and dug through the luggage, finding Logan's duffle and unzipping it eagerly, impatient to get his meal._

_"Hey, be careful! Don't dig around in my stuff!"_

_Rin plopped the duffle in his lap and rooted around in the bag, cringing at dirty underwear and sweaty socks, until he found a small leather pouch that looked like it could be a money bag. When he touched it, however, a strange sensation came over him. Holding the leather bag, he felt a peculiar sensation start to spread through his body – but in the next instant Logan had snatched the bag out of his hands, expression fierce._

_"I said don't dig around in my stuff."_

_"I'm just looking for the money!" Rin cried innocently, holding up his hands in surrender. _

_Shura reached in and held up a pair of boxers decorated with big red hearts, "Really?"_

_"I said don't dig around in my stuff!" Logan shouted, snatching the whole duffle away from Rin and quickly pulling out an envelope stuffed with bills. The lady gave them their food and Logan peeled out of the parking lot, still glowering as Shura made jokes about his underwear. _

Rin had been too busy stuffing his face after that to think about the leather pouch, or the strange sensation it had given him. But now, as they ran down the corridor back to the car, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that whatever was in that bag was Logan's secret plan. But what could Logan have that could combat demons? Whatever it was, the knotted feeling in Rin's gut told him it was dangerous.

"Here! Come on!"

Logan slid to a stop in front of an elevator, punching the button impatiently. The doors quickly rolled open, and their group crowded in, elbows awkwardly digging into ribs and stepping on top of each other. In another moment, the doors opened up and they all spilled out into the hallway of the school. The halls were empty, but from somewhere in the mansion there was the sound of shrieks and running feet. Outside the window they could see several students run past with panicked looks, and from somewhere out of sight there were angry shouts.

"Storm! Professor! Thank god you are here – I have been looking all over for you!" Rin stepped back in surprise as suddenly a man popped into existence in front of them, appearing from thin air. He was blue from head to toe, with a barbed tail wavering behind him. He spoke with a thick accent, but the anxiety in his voice was clear to everyone.

"Kurt, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure! Er, Pyro is going crazy – he says there are monsters! And two of the students are…they've gone mad! They're trying to break into your car, Mr. Logan. And things are moving on their own – I thought maybe someone invisible was playing pranks, but no one…"

"It's alright, Kurt – keep all the students inside, we'll take care of this," Charles said. The blue guy nodded, nervously eyeing their group before disappearing into thin air once again.

"Who was that?" Rin exclaimed.

"Nightcrawler – he's a teleporter," Storm answered.

"Nightcrawler? Does no one around here have normal names?" Shura cried incredulously, but Storm just gave her an annoyed look.

"How about someone explain what's going on? What did he mean, the kids were going crazy?"

"I have a bad feeling about this," Yukio muttered, but Logan was already running towards the door.

"We don't have time to explain! Come on!"

They burst out the front door and paused for a moment, taking in the scene. There was a scraggly group of little hobgoblins running around, attacking a cluster of confused students. They weren't doing much harm, just jabbing and yanking on hair mostly, but Pyro was amongst the group. And apparently, he could see the demons.

He was shouting at them, shooting balls of flame at the little goblins while the other students screamed in terror, thinking they were being attacked. More alarming than that, however, were the two students by Logan's car. They were surrounded by a misty swarm of coal tars, and demonic power was leaking from their bodies. Rin could see the demons that had possessed them breaking out, stretching the skin, horns tearing through their scalp and claws creeping out of their fingertips. It reminded him of the first demon he had ever met, the kid that had shot the pigeons. It made him think of Satan, possessing Shiro. Making him bleed, burning up his flesh. Killing him.

He clenched his fists, and hardly noticed when his blue flames started flickering around him.

"Rin, stop!" Shura cried, but it was too late. The two demon possessed kids turned towards him, tilting their heads.

"Is…that…"

"Young Prince?"


	8. Chapter 8

The goblins stopped running around and faced Rin. Pyro saw his opportunity and wiped them out with a powerful blast of fire as the rest of the students ran away, seeking refuge inside the mansion. Breathing hard, a crazed look in his eyes, he glanced up and saw the two demons standing beside the car and stumbled back, face pale.

"What the hell? What the hell is going on?"

"John, come over here," Charles called, and for once Pyro didn't complain about his name. He scrambled over to their group, tripping across the top step and falling onto his hands and knees. Storm helped him to his feet.

"What's going on? Logan –"

"Those two kids right there are possessed. They've been taken over by demons," Shura said grimly.

"How do we save them?" Xavier asked. Shura sighed, then held the palm of her hand flat over her chest. Reciting the spell, she summoned her sword, drawing the blade from between her breasts and taking a fighting stance.

"We have to exorcise them. We don't have any arias, so we'll have to do it the hard way. They'll be a little beat up, but they'll live," she explained.

"You just pulled that sword…out of your boobs…" Pyro stuttered, still shaken.

"Yeah, neat trick, huh?"

"You can't just attack those kids – this is crazy! Look at them – they're not demons!" Storm shouted, stepping in front of Shura. Yukio drew her blades, and Logan's claw slid from his hands, catching the light of Rin's flames. Storm stared at them, incredulous, "Logan! What are you doing?"

"You can't see them, Storm. But they're monsters," he answered, "Why are they saying young prince?"

"They're talking to me," Rin hissed through gritted teeth, "Didn't I tell you? Satan is the King of Gehenna."

"It's true! You're the Prince, at last!" the first demon, possessing the body of a blonde-haired girl, cried gleefully.

The other demon, in the body of a dark-skinned boy, cracked a smile, revealing rows of sharp fangs, "Okuninushi will be especially pleased to meet you! This will gain our lord much favor with the King," he cackled, "Not to mention gain us much favor."

Yukio paled, "Did you say Okuninushi?"

"Shut up, human!" the girl yelled, flinging an arm towards Yukio. Her arm changed mid-strike, transforming into a huge bestial claw that swatted Yukio into the air.

"Yukio!" Rin cried. The warrior priestess spun around mid-flight and managed to land on her feet, sliding to a stop without harm.

"Don't worry about the humans, Young Prince. They mean nothing – come with us, we'll show you where you truly belong."

Rin paused for a moment, and the demon stepped forward, reaching towards Rin - but suddenly Shura was there, slicing with her sword. Green streaks of energy flashed through the air, crashing into the demons and eliciting howls of pain.

"You're not laying a hand on him!"

"Keep them busy, Yukio! Shura!" Logan called, ducking beneath the startled demon and running towards the car.

"Logan!" Storm cried, trying to run after him, but Charles called out.

"Wait, Storm."

"But they're attacking the children!"

"I can see through their eyes – and it's true. Those aren't our students right now."

"But that's impossible!"

"Many people thought the same thing of us once," he said grimly, watching as Shura and Yukio leapt about the two students, the two demons, using magical attacks to cut them down. The kids cried out, but there weren't any physical injuries that they could see. Rin saw it all, however – the demons had overtaken the kids' bodies almost completely – one looked like a hairy horned monster, and the other was some sort of reptilian demon with scaly skin.

Rin clenched his fists – he knew Shura had told him not to use his powers, but he couldn't stand by and watch as others fought for him. He slung the silk case from his sword and swung the sheathed blade into his hands, clutching the scabbard with white knuckles. Flames danced along the metal, begging Rin to draw the sword.

"Yes – Young Prince! Strike down these humans! Show them your power!"

"I'll show you my power," Rin hissed, jumping into the air. The sword slid free from its sheath, smooth and fluid and shining with blue light. He felt the power surge into him, burning up inside; with a shout, he slashed down and enveloped the demon with his flames. He gripped the hilt tight with concentration – he had never done this before – he had to be careful not to injure the host. He had to…he could do this…

"Why? Young Prince!" the demon shrieked, but Rin didn't relent.

"Get out of him! Now!" Rin ordered. The demon howled, but fled the boy's body. Rin extinguished his fire and caught the kid before he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Idiot! I told you not to use your flames!"

Rin turned towards Shura, "I couldn't just stand by and watch!"

"Young Prince – how could you…how could you fight on the side of the humans?"

"I_ am_ a human! Now leave, before I burn you up, too!"

"I can't leave, not until I've accomplished my mission. And I won't be so easily ousted – if you burn me up, you'll burn this girl up too!" the demon growled, rippling its scales and hissing.

"What is your mission? To come get me?" Rin shouted, still holding the little boy in his arms, warms flames dancing around his shoulders.

"I've been sworn to secrecy, but I can tell you that you weren't our mission. We didn't even know you were here, or we would have been much more accommodating, my Prince."

"I don't care about that! Just tell me what your mission is!" Rin used that strange telepathic power he still didn't really understand, and channeled his willpower through his fiery stare, "Tell me!"

"I can't! Not even if you weren't being used by the humans!" the demon howled, then lunged towards Rin. He jumped back, dodging the attack – he couldn't fight back with this kid in his arms.

"I think I know what his mission was," Logan's voice suddenly rang out, catching everyone's attention. He was standing on top of the car, the leather pouch falling from his fingers. He held his fist in front of him, clutching something in his hand.

"Looking for this?"

He spread his hand to reveal a splinter of what looked like black obsidian, although at the same time the rock didn't look quite solid. As if instead of glittery dark stone the rock was made from the night sky itself. It was much weaker, almost as if it were sleeping, but Rin recognized the power emanating from it.

"The shard from Okuninushi's heart!" the demon cried, and Rin felt his gut twist. Why was it here? Why did Logan have the heart shard? The demon was lunging towards the mutant, claws outstretched towards the shard, but Logan snapped his hand shut and stared the demon down. Rin felt like he was watching in slow motion. He saw the demon suddenly twist, coiling up as if in pain.

And then he felt the pain himself and fell to his knees, everything going dark as his body tumbled into the grass.


	9. Chapter 9

Logan sat in the infirmary, resting his elbows on his knees from his position on the back of a chair. Rin was lying on the cot while Charles sat beside him, eyes closed and hand resting above his forehead.

"I don't get it – I was concentrating on _not_ hurting Rin. Why did this happen?"

"Telepathy is a dangerous power, Logan. You're woefully inexperienced; it's not surprising something like this happened."

"Well sorry for saving all our asses," he muttered. He had used the heart shard to expel all the demons from the grounds. It had been a frightening feeling, but also invigorating. He wasn't sure how to use the heart shard, but when he grappled with Iha-naga on top of the mountain he had held it for a few minutes. And he had felt its power. He had connected with the thoughts and feelings of not only Rin, but of the goddess and all the demons she had been controlling. Some sort of power had flowed into him, some sort of understanding, and when he stood on top of the car and wielded the shard again, he thought he knew how to control it. He instantly could feel the demon's mind, and all the demons surrounding the mansion – their minds were in his hands. He could even feel Rin, all his pain and doubt and power surging into Logan's consciousness. Concentrating on not harming Rin, he used the shard's power to drive out all the other demons.

It only seemed like a few seconds, and then Yukio was there beside him, knocking the shard out of his hand. He immediately collapsed, muscles quivering and aching. She had screamed at him for using the stone, saying it wasn't meant for mortals. The only reason he had survived was his regenerative powers – and even then she had been surprised he came out as unscathed as he did.

Even now, though, he felt a little light headed and his muscles felt weak. If he had to fight right now, he wasn't sure he could even throw a proper punch. Hopefully he wouldn't throw up again, either.

But he wasn't thinking about his own condition – he was thinking about Rin. After Yukio knocked the shard out of his hands, he immediately noticed Rin lying unconscious on the ground. Both he and the two students who had been possessed were rushed to the infirmary. Shura had wanted to stay, but she and Yukio were busy making rounds around the mansion and grounds, laying out wards and spells that were supposed to protect the school from more demon attacks.

Storm had gone to find Pyro, who had run off after the fight was over. For now, it was just Charles and Logan in the room with the three unconscious kids. With a sigh, Xavier lowered his hand from Rin and bowed his head.

"When I use Cerebro, you know how dangerous and difficult it can be. If I concentrate too hard on one single person, I could kill them. You were trying not to hurt Rin, but by concentrating on one person's mind with such intensity, no matter your intention, you'll damage them."

Logan felt his stomach sink, "He'll be fine, though, right? He can heal, like me."

Xavier shook his head, "I don't know. He's not like you and me – I can understand genetics and mutations, Logan; but I'm not sure how much I can comprehend of a demon's physiology."

"He's not that different from you and me – besides, he's only a half demon."

"Even then… this –device – you used, the heart shard – I can't begin to understand how it functions. This is beyond the world of science and facts, Logan – this is another world altogether, beyond my understanding."

"Tell me about it," Logan sighed, running a hand through his hair. Rin remained still and pale, his tail hanging limply from the side of the table. Suddenly the door burst open and Storm stomped in, hauling Pyro behind her.

"He was hiding in the woods, but I found him."

"I wasn't hiding," he shrugged her off, trying to keep his cool but obviously shaken.

"So he can see demons as well?" Charles observed, rolling his chair towards the student.

Logan shrugged, "Apparently. I thought Shura said, or you said that she thought, or…whatever. I thought only people who had been injured by a demon could see demons," Logan said.

"John and Rin got in a fight earlier today, and he was burned by Rin. If all this demon stuff is true and Rin is a half-demon, then that could explain it."

"Those things were demons? Yeah right," Pyro scoffed, eyeing Rin suspiciously.

"Yes, they were," Xavier declared, voice serious, "And Storm, it is true. I don't completely understand it, but this is all very real. And these people came to us for help – they're not so different from us, I think." at this point he glanced at Logan, who gave a little nod, "But if we're going to help them, we need to know more. When Yukio and Shura return, they'll tell us everything. For now, I'll tell you what I know, Storm."

Storm nodded and closed her eyes as Charles sent the knowledge imparted from Logan's memories into her mind – it only took a moment, but when she opened her eyes again she gasped, wearing a shocked expression.

"Oh, come on! That's not fair! I deserve to know, too!" Pyro complained, looking from Storm to the Professor.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through this, John. But as a student, we can't burden you with our affairs. We simply brought you here to explain what was happening and make sure you were alright."

"But you haven't explained anything!"

"Demons are real, and you can see them now. That's all you need to know, kid. Now scram," Logan growled, causing Pyro to flare his nostrils and glare at him with anger.

"This is just because I used to be in Brotherhood, isn't it? So much for forgiveness and all that bullshit! If it had been Bobby, you would have told him everything!"

"John…" Charles began, but the kid merely sneered.

"It's Pyro."

"Pyro. You understand that you can't tell anyone about this, correct?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Can I go now?"

He didn't wait for anyone to answer before storming out the doors. Storm followed, making sure he got back without getting up to mischief

"Are you sure you shouldn't wipe his memory, or something?" Logan asked, and Xavier sighed again.

"That's not my place. I wonder if we should have divulged everything to the boy, however. It's a little cruel to keep something like this from him, when he's seen so much already."

"He hasn't seen anything," Logan muttered, thinking back to the horrifying ghosts in the Suicide Forest, the army of demons, the angry goddess. A few small-time demons were nothing. Besides, as far as he was concerned, Pyro deserved a little suffering.


	10. Chapter 10

Rin became aware of the stiff mattress beneath his body, the fluffy pillow his head was sinking into, the cold air wafting across his skin. The scent of clean cotton and antiseptic filled his nostrils, and he could almost taste the medicinal smell in the back of his throat. He could also hear yelling - lots of yelling. He didn't open his eyes quite yet, though - he didn't want any of that yelling directed at him.

Logan's voice was the one that woke him up, "The same Order that wants to kill Rin, right? You're saying we should trust them?"

"I'm saying we should give them the Shard!" that was Shura, trying to remain calm.

"Hand the Shard over to Mephisto? Come on, Shura, you're not stupid. That guy is definitely up to something."

"Of course he's up to something, he's Mephisto."

Rin was a little surprised to hear Storm's voice chime in, "Why would you hand over such a dangerous item to someone you don't trust?"

"Because it's dangerous. Even if he's up to something, he'll have the power to contain it. As things are now, we're all in danger with that thing around," Yukio spoke up.

"How do you mean?" Charles' voice joined the mix. There was a pause in the conversation, and suddenly there was a burning sensation in Rin's nose. He tried desperately to hold it back, but it was too strong. With a loud shout, he let out a calamitous sneeze and shot up in the cot, making everyone else in the room jump in surprise.

"You're awake!" Storm cried. Rin blinked at her, then jerked as another sneeze racked his body. Everyone jumped a little again at the sheer volume of the sneeze.

"Jeez, you trying to blow down the mansion?" Logan muttered, while Shura poked a finger into Rin's cheek.

"How long were you planning on lazing around, sleepyhead?"

He swatted her finger away only to find Charles grabbing his face and shining a light in his eyes, "You seem alright. If you would, allow me to make sure."

Rin didn't have time to think about what the Professor was saying before he felt the prodding of someone else's consciousness inside his mind. Charles was staring at him, sifting through his thoughts like someone might shuffle papers around.

"Stop!" Rin cried suddenly, pushing away from the Professor and subsequently falling off the bed. As he tumbled to the cold ground, he felt Xavier's presence tear free of his mind, like someone quickly yanking their hand away from a fire.

"Wow, graceful," Shura commented as Rin found his feet again.

"Shut up," he muttered, sitting back down and rubbing his head where it had met with the floor.

"I'm sorry, Rin. I didn't mean to cause you discomfort," Charles apologized, concern in his eyes. His penetrating look made Rin uneasy - even if he wasn't using telepathy, it was like he guy could read his mind.

"It's fine. Uh...what happened? Are those other kids alright?"

"The other students are fine - they're a little beat up, but they'll be fine after a few days. They don't remember anything from being possessed," Charles explained, and Rin relaxed a little.

"As for the rest, this idiot here pocketed the heart shard of Okuninushi back in Japan. He's had it with him this whole time - it's a miracle we weren't attacked earlier," Shura sneered, jabbing a thumb at Logan.

"When Logan used the telepathic powers of the shard, he unintentionally hit you with a powerful amount of telepathic power and caused you to fall unconscious. But he assures me with your healing abilities you would be fine. So - how do you feel?"

"Uh, yeah - I'm fine," Rin stuttered, then turned to glower at Logan, "You stole the heart shard?"

Now it was Logan's turn to avert his eyes, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Yeah, well think again, dipshit!" Shura shouted in his ears, making him wince slightly.

Storm crossed her arms, "I understand this shard has powerful capabilities, but as long as we leave it alone it should be fine, right?"

"I don't know...we set up wards strong enough to hide Rin's presence, so it should hide the heart shard as well. I have a feeling more demons will be back, looking for that shard, though."

"But your spells will keep them away," Storm asked, although she phrased it more like an order than a question.

"Yeah...against normal demons, we'll be fine."

Xavier sighed, "Somehow that sounds less than confident," he glanced at Rin, then smiled, "But it'll have to do. We've got other matters to attend to."

Logan frowned, "Like what?"

"Like getting Rin ready for classes tomorrow! You came here to enroll him in the school, didn't you?"

"But what about -" Yukio began, but Storm cut her off.

"This school has been through about everything. Attack by demons is just another checkmark off the list. And we might not know everything there is to know about the supernatural, but we're more than capable. You came to us for help - we're not going to abandon you just because things get a little tough."

"Alright. Glad that's settled, then. I'm going to go hit the sack."

"Where are you planning on sleeping? Your room was turned into a dorm a while back," Storm retorted, grining mischeviously.

"What? You gave my room to a couple of brats?"

"It's not your room anymore," she replied, walking out of the room, Logan at her shoulder. Rin could hear their bickering even after the door closed behind them. Yukio gave a little bow and followed them out, leaving only Shura, Charles and Rin in the room.

"So really, kiddo, how are you feeling?"

Rin hunched his shoulders and pouted at Shura, "I told you, I'm fine!"

"Then why did you have that little spaz attack a few minutes ago?"

His eyes slid to the side, fixing on a shelf full of pills and first aid equipment, "I just got a little freaked out, is all."

"Shura and Logan told me about what happened on Mt. Fuji, Rin. I know about Iha-naga, and how she took control of you using the heart shard. It's alright to be afraid, Rin - fear isn't a sign of weakness."

Rin clutched his fists, "But I am weak."

Charles' eyes shone, "I can tell you right now that's far from the truth."

"If I had been stronger, she couldn't have taken control of me! And I wouldn't have fainted when Logan…" Rin trailed off, gritting his teeth, "The Grigori are afraid...I heard what Mephisto said. They think Satan could take control of me. If I was stronger…"

A warm hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts.

"If you want to get stronger, Rin, I can help you. But you'll have to trust me. And more importantly, you'll have to trust yourself."

Rin glanced at Shura, then looked back into Charles' eyes, "Alright."

"Good man," Xavier exclaimed, clapping Rin on the shoulder, "Then I'll see you bright and early in the morning. Is five o'clock fine?"

Rin's jaw dropped, "W-w-wait a moment! Five o'clock?"

"Five o'clock it is! You know where my office is, right?"

"B-b-but that's really early!" Rin's cry of anguish was muffled when Shura crooked her arm around his neck and pulled him close, waving a finger in front of his nose, "Stop whining. If you want to be strong, then take it like a man."

Huffing a deep breath from his nostrils, Rin puffed up and nodded, "Right. I won't sleep at all, if I have to."

"There's no need for that. Sleep is very important after all."

"Uh...then where should I sleep?"

Charles turned his wheelchair slightly, "Well, in one of the dormitories, of course."


	11. Chapter 11

"Yuki!"

Shiemi's cheerful voice pulled Yukio from his thoughts. He realized he had been sitting at the table for ten minutes, simply holding his sandwich without taking a single bite. Shaking off the dark places his mind had been wandering to, he put on a smile and waved at the ever cheerful Shiemi. He was surprised to see the rest of the cram school students walk up as well, greeting him casually as they took their seats around him and opened up their own lunches. He had been hoping for a quiet lunch to himself, but he couldn't really turn them all away on those grounds.

"Any word on Rin?"

Instinctively, Yukio glanced over his shoulder. He hadn't been able to catch sight of any Grigori goons following him about, but the way Mephisto had been talking he couldn't shake the feeling they were watching him. Then again, it could just be Mephisto messing with him.

_Damn him. Always playing games…_

"No. There's been a sudden increase in demon activity recently, so we're hoping Rin's case will die down," Yukio answered softly, still eyeing people at nearby tables.

Konekomaru nodded, "I've been hearing about that. They might even send us exwires out to deal with some of the lower level demons because they're running short on exorcists."

Shiemi shivered a little, "I hope it's nothing too scary!"

Bon was frowning, "They must really be stretched thin if they're willing to send us into the field. I wonder what caused this?"

Yukio looked back down at his sandwich, still completely untouched. With a sigh, he dropped it back onto his napkin. His appetite had vanished, anyway.

"It probably has something to do with what happened on Mt. Fuji," Izumi said matter of factly, resting her chin on a fist. Shima looked completely unnerved by her blase comment.

"Why would you say something like that?"

"Well, all this demon activity started after that, right? And what happened was pretty unusual; I've never heard of using a god's heart to control demons. It can't be a coincidence that something like that happens right before an unusual amount of demon activity starts, right?"

"You may have a point," Bon murmured, stroking his own chin.

"But if you are, then I hate to think what that means for all of us," Konekomaru observed, then turned to Yukio.

"What do you think, Okumura-san?"

"Yuki? Are you alright? You look kind of pale," Shiemi asked after a moment of silence. Abruptly, Yukio stood, eyes hidden by a glare on his glasses.

"Excuse me. I forgot about some paperwork I had to file," he hurried off, shoulders stiff as he walked away. Shiemi looked after him, concern in her eyes. Beside her, Bon narrowed his own eyes.

"That guy knows something."

"Of course he knows something. He's way higher up than us nobodies," Shima shrugged.

"Yeah, but we've been through enough together, you'd think he'd share a little!"

Konekomaru tried to placate Bon, "He's probably just worried about his brother!"

"Yeah, but doesn't he think the rest of us might be worried too?" Izumo huffed, then blushed when everyone looked at her in surprise, "Not about that idiot! About the demons!"

Yukio didn't hear any of this as he walked away, but the truth was he didn't know anything. All he had was some subtle hints from Mephisto that something more might be going on with Okuninushi's heart shard.

He wandered to the dispatch office, wondering where the Order was planning on sending the cram school students.

"Oh - they're not needed anymore. Everything is under control."

"Under control? We've all been running around like crazy and have just barely kept all these demons contained!"

"It's really strange, a few hours ago the demon activity suddenly dropped in this area. It looks like whatever had them riled up is over with."

Yukio frowned, "That doesn't make any sense!"

"None of this makes any sense. Here, take a look if you want."

The senior exorcist gestured to his desk, which was filled with computer monitors and papers stacked in haphazard piles. Several phones were lined up on the far side of the desk, and one of them began to ring. The older man answered, and Yukio helped himself to the information scattered across the screens.

In a moment, the exorcist finished his phone call and turned his attention back to Yukio, "Yeah, so as you can see, pretty much all activity has died down."

"Except here," Yukio stated, pointing to a map on screen.

"Oh yeah, but that's way out of my jurisdiction. I'm only in charge of this area."

"Do you mind if I write down some of these locations?"

He didn't wait for an answer before whipping out a notepad and scribbling down the coordinates before giving a nod and smile to his fellow exorcist and stepping back out into the hallway. Immediately his smile melted off. All these coordinates were from one country - specifically one area in that country.

New York, U.S.A.

Logan hadn't disclosed the location of Xavier's school before leaving, insisting on keeping it a secret, but Yukio knew without a doubt this must be where Rin was. And whatever was happening over there, he was in trouble.

* * *

Rin was in trouble. Deep shit. No matter how hard he tried to make things work, bad things kept happening to him.

He stood in the doorway, bags crammed under his arms, sword over his shoulder, and stared into the room.

Bobby sat inside, staring back.

Had the Professor done this on purpose? Was this some sort of punishment? This Bobby kid had to hate Rin now, or at least think he was a freak. He was pretty sure Bobby was going to get up and punch him at any moment - or maybe use some weird mutant power on him? Sweating bullets, Rin nervously shuffled just outside the room.

"Oh...uh...sorry...this is the room they assigned me…"

Bobby snapped out of his trance and jumped to his feet, approaching Rin. At first Rin thought they were about to have a rematch, but instead Bobby took some of Rin's bags and carried them into the room.

"Oh - thanks."

"Sure. Listen man, I'm sorry about earlier. You're new here, and I shouldn't have gotten so riled up."

"No, no, I'm always rushing into things. I'm a real dumbass, it's fine. Besides, you were the one who almost got hurt, so I should be the one apologizing," Rin waved his hands in the air, then scratched the back of his head and let out a forced laugh. He was always terrible with apologies and this friendly small talk. But Bobby just laughed.

"Dude, it's fine. We're cool, right?"

"Yeah," Rin said, smiling too widely. It had been a terrible day - it was great to finally meet someone friendly. Maybe he could fit in here after all.


	12. Chapter 12

"So what are your powers?"

Bobby and Rin were sitting on their beds. Rin had started to unpack, but gotten bored halfway through. There were small piles of clothes on his bed, tossed haphazardly into one of the drawers, and even a few already strewn across the floor. The only other thing he had unpacked were the manga he had brought along. Bobby had never seen manga before, so Rin had excitedly explained the plots of several while thrusting them into Bobby's hands. Bobby was flipping through one now, although he couldn't read Japanese. (Rin had volunteered to translate by the page, but Bobby had declined.)

"My powers?"

"Yeah. Your mutation. I mean, obviously flame powers. But you were running pretty fast too."

"Oh, yeah - I guess I have, like, superhuman strength, too."

Bobby grinned, "That's pretty cool."

Rin laughed nervously, "Yeah, I guess. Uh - what about you?"

Before he could answer, though, suddenly a girl burst through the wall. Or rather, slipped through the wall as if it were made of water. She phased through the wall mid-jump, landing on the bed where Rin was sitting.

"Hey Bobby! Are we still gonna-"

She took another step and collided with Rin, who was frozen in his spot staring at her. She tripped and toppled off the bed - Rin jumped forward with a shout, realizing she was about to hit her head on the edge of the desk - but there was no collision. Instead, her head just passed through the corner of the table as if it were made of air. She landed with a quiet thump on the floor, then spun around and shoved a finger to her lips.

"Shut up! We're not supposed to visit boy's rooms after curfew."

Rin was frozen again, eyes wide as the girl rose to her feet and dusted her shirt off.

"You just...passed through the desk...and the wall...like a ghost."

"Yeah, and you must be the new kid everyone is talking about."

Bobby stood, grinning, "Rin, this is Kitty Pryde. Kitty, Rin Okumura."

Rin snapped out of his shock and took the hand Kitty was holding out, but when he grabbed her hand to shake, his hand phased their own. He jumped back a little in surprise, but Kitty and Bobby just laughed.

"Man, the look on your face," Kitty giggled, then took his hand once more and shook it for real, "You must have never been around mutants before, huh?"

Rin shook his head, "No - Logan was the first mutant I met. I never knew there were...others out there."

"How did you two meet, anyway? I haven't seen Logan in years," Bobby asked, plopping down on his bed again. Kitty sat next to him, leaning into his shoulder.

"Uh, well, he was looking for his friend, Yukio, in Japan. And we helped him find her," there was an awkward pause as they waited for Rin to say more, but instead he changed the subject, "So, you can pass through walls and stuff?"

"Phasing, yeah. I can pass through anything - even bullets," she raised her eyebrows with this last statement, succeeding in impressing Rin.

"Bullets? Is getting shot at some sort of training exercise?"

"Well, things are far from peaceful around here. Especially these last couple of years."

Rin nodded, "Storm was saying something about that earlier. Uh - does that have something to do with that Pyro kid?"

Bobby frowned, and Kitty shifted uncomfortably in her place. Rin was about to take back his words when Bobby spoke up.

"Yeah. You see, for a long time everyone hated mutants. They thought we were monsters. It's really only after Alcatraz they started accepting us; but even apart from that, there's a lot of tension among mutants. Professor X used to be really good friends with this guy called Magneto. But they had a fight, or something, and now Magneto is in charge of this group that call themselves the Brotherhood."

Rin nodded, remembering when Storm and Logan had been arguing about this by the lake.

"So Pyro used to be a part of this Brotherhood?"

"Yeah. The Brotherhood believes in mutant supremacy and wants to wipe out all humans, and they're willing to do about anything to do it. A few years ago, we lost a lot of friends in a battle between us and the Brotherhood on Alcatraz. Even after it was all over, Rogue...a bunch of the other students left, and then Logan disappeared."

"Whoa, that's pretty intense," Rin breathed.

For a moment the three teenagers sat in the quiet room, letting the darkness of the past mingle with the night seeping in through the window. Then suddenly Kitty sprung to her feet, pulling Bobby up with her and putting on a wide smile.

"But that's over with. Let's talk about something else!"

Bobby laughed, shedding the cold glare that had been settling in his eyes, "Alright, what do you want to do?"

"Let's go skating! We haven't been skating in ages!"

"Skating? Is there an ice rink in the basement or something?" Rin asked, tilting his head.

"Oh, right. I never told you! I -"

Bobby was cut off when Kitty clapped a hand over his mouth, "No, wait! Let it be a surprise!"

Rin looked desperately from Bobby to Kitty, but they were both just grinning mischievously. All they would tell him as they led him out onto the roof and down a gutter drain pipe was that he had to be quiet or else they would get into trouble. Stars twinkling above, they made their way to the fountain Rin had seen during his tour of the school.

"Okay, now watch this," Kitty gave Bobby a little push forward.

"You know, we got in trouble last time we did this," Bobby whispered over his shoulder, then spread a hand towards the quietly rippling fountain. Rin felt a chill wash over his shoulders and shivered slightly, wondering where the cold air was coming from suddenly. He looked over his shoulder, peering into the shadows suspiciously. He knew Yukio and Shura had laid plentiful barriers, but somehow he felt like the demons were far from finished with them.

He was distracted from his thoughts when a strange crackling noise filled the air, he turned back towards Bobby and Kitty and his eyes went wide - the entire fountain was frozen over, solid white ice - even the trickling water from the spout had formed into frosty icicles.

Bobby blew his fingers like blowing smoke away from a gun and grinned, "What do you think?"

"Ice powers?Whoa - that's so cool!" Rin cried enthusiastically, momentarily forgetting to be quiet. He jumped onto the frozen fountain and slid a good five feet, waving his arms wildly before falling flat on his face.

"Aww man! It's so cold!" he shouted from his place on the ground. Bobby and Kitty skated out to him, blades of ice frozen to the bottom of their shoes.

"This might help," Bobby laughed, forming skates on the bottom of Rin's shoes with a mere wave of his hand. Together they helped Rin to his feet, and the three of them cautiously set off in a small circle.

"This is crazy! I haven't been skating since I was a kid!"

"Oh, did you live somewhere cold when you were little?" Kitty asked.

"During the winters, yeah. Father Fujimoto would take Yukio and I to the park whenever it snowed, and there was this lake where everyone came to skate. Yukio was always falling flat on his face," Rin grinned at the memory. Yukio with his ridiculously round glasses, crying in the middle of that frozen lake. Rin always helped him up and they would slip and slide their way back to the Old Man, who would laugh and pat them on the head.

"Kinda like you did just now?" Bobby joked, and Rin nodded, his smile fading.

It used to be Rin helping Yukio get on his feet, but these days it seemed like Rin was the one doing all of the falling. He had been concerned Yukio would be worried out of his mind with Rin far off in another country, but maybe he was finally enjoying some time to himself. After a while of skating around and a few races, Kitty and Bobby glided off together, arms hooked and voices soft. Rin sat on the stone wall enclosing the fountain with a sigh, thinking how nice it would be to go skating like this with Shiemi. When he got back, he would have to find a skating rink and take her there.

Suddenly he froze up with a horrible thought - what if Yukio took advantage of Rin's absence and wooed Shiemi himself? Shiemi definitely had a thing for Yukio - what if they started dating while he was gone!? He clenched his fists - no way! He was more determined now than ever - he had to finish up his training here so he could get back to Japan! Surely if he mastered control of his own mind, the Grigori wouldn't be scared of him anymore, right?

Or maybe it didn't matter what he did - maybe this was all he could be. A monst-

"Rin!"

He jerked out of his thoughts and looked up, seeing Kitty and Bobby skating towards him.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" he looked down and realized he had melted his ice-blades off, and was melting a hole in the ice around him. Embarrassed, he jumped to his feet, only to plunge through the hole he had made in the ice and soak his pants, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! I should probably hit the sack, though - I've got to get up super early tomorrow."

"Oh really, why?"

"I've got some special training or something with the Professor. I guess just catching up, since I'm new and everything."

He climbed out of the fountain and was slowly walking backwards, waving his hand, "I'll see you guys later, so goodnight!"

They waved back, confused expressions on their faces, but Rin just swiveled around and headed back indoors. He didn't have time to be goofing off - he had to focus on getting stronger. He had already caused everyone enough problems.

Kitty raised an eyebrow, "Special training? Why does he need special training?"

Bobby shook his head, "I don't know. But you know that incident earlier today - I think he might have been involved in that somehow."

"Really? He doesn't really seem...I dunno, dangerous or anything."

"I don't know. He definitely looks like he's been through some shit, though."

Kitty took Bobby's hand, turning him away from the receding figure of Rin, "We all have. Let's not think about it, though. Let's just have some fun tonight."

"Yeah, you're right," Bobby replied, interlacing his fingers with her own. He wasn't sure why, but he got a strange vibe from Rin, and the strange incidents that had happened earlier today filled him with apprehension. The school had weathered so much, but he had the feeling it was about to face another storm.


	13. Chapter 13

_Thanks for reading this far! I know things are moving a little slow, I'll try to pick up the pace a bit in the coming chapters. I promise there is some action coming soon! Thanks for all the reviews, and thanks again for reading! _

Logan leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching as the golden light of morning just began to spread over the horizon, gilding the window frames with its glow. The mansion was still dark and quiet, the only sound the chirping of birds outside. He hadn't been able to sleep last night, so here he was, at the foot of the stairs feeling increasingly uncomfortable with every passing minute. It was almost five, and there was still no sign of Rin.

"That idiot's going to sleep in, isn't he?" he muttered. Briefly, he considered going upstairs and waking him, but changed his mind, instead turning and heading towards the kitchen. Maybe Xavier had loosened up a little since he had been gone and there would actually be a beer in the fridge this time.

"Logan?"

He had almost cleared the room when the voice called out. He turned to see Rin descending the stairs and couldn't hold in a laugh.

"What are you wearing?"

Rin looked down at his clothes - black slacks that were criss-crossed with the marks of a bad ironing job and a button-down shirt that was creased in all the wrong places. The kid had even tried to slick his hair down, though it was rebelliously sticking out around his ears.

"I need to take this seriously, so I'm dressing the part," Rin growled defensively, slouching past Logan with a glare.

"You don't have to take it _that_ seriously, kid. Trust me, in that get-up-"

"I do have to take it this seriously!" Rin exclaimed, interrupting Logan.

"Cool down. I'm just saying you don't have to dress like a travelling salesman just to attend classes. Besides, have you ever even ironed clothes before? You look like you've been run over by a steamroller."

Rin hunched his shoulders, refusing to look in Logan's direction. With a sigh, Logan ran a hand through his hair, "Fine, wear what you want, that's not why I'm here. I wanted to apologize to you. About yesterday, with the shard. I had no idea that it would effect you like that…"

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. I was in over my head. And after what you've been through, I'm sure that was-"

"I said I'm fine! I'm going to be late," Rin finished his sentence in a mumble, rapidly walking away before Logan could finish.

Part of him wanted to chase Rin down and finish talking, but instead he continued into the kitchen. He should just leave Rin alone, the kid could handle himself. Even as he said it, though, he knew it wasn't true.

"Oi, you're up early."

"Shura?"

The swordswoman was sitting at the table, two bottles of beer resting by her elbow. She picked one up and tossed it to Logan, who caught while still regarding Shura suspiciously.

"I could say the same to you."

"It's a little early for alcohol, is what most people would say. I say screw 'em," Shura popped her own bottle open and took a gulp.

Sitting down, Logan took a sip of his own drink, "I didn't think Charles would have any on campus. He's usually pretty strict about that sort of thing."

"I didn't get these here. I made a midnight run last night into town. And I got a lot more than beer. I found a couple of demons."

Logan choked a little, "You went out hunting demons last night? Alone?"

"Aww, you really do care!" she laughed at his expression, then grew serious, "Don't worry about me, I'm a pro at this. But we do need to be worried - those demons weren't here by accident."

"It's about the heart shard, right?"

Shura nodded, taking a long sip from her bottle, "I think Okuninushi is looking for his missing piece of heart. And he's found it. Looks like our friends from yesterday have some loose lips. There's a hoard of demons outside this barrier, trying to find a way in, and they're all working for the old bastard. I don't think it will be long before Okuninushi himself arrives."

Logan gripped his bottle with white knuckles, "What does that even mean? Who is this guy?"

"He's a god, like Iha-naga or Konohana. Except probably much worse. If one sliver of his heart is this powerful, I can only imagine how dangerous the entire god is."

"Will the spells you and Yukio cast keep him out?"

"They might hold him for a little while, but not for long. Basically, we're in deep shit here. Trust me, I didn't want to go to the Order either, but it looks like we're running out of options here."

"Now just wait a minute-"

"If we wait too long, Okuninushi will be here, and we'll be helpless!"

"If you go to the Order, they'll kill Rin!"

"If we don't, then everyone here will die! Haven't you lost enough?"

Logan felt his muscles tense up, his anger drawing his claws out - but with a deep breath he forced himself to remain calm.

"Yeah, I have. And I'm not losing anyone else. Let alone a kid like Rin."

"Rin's not as helpless as you think. He's been scheduled for execution before, after all. The Grigori isn't as eager to kill him as they pretend to be. Mephisto made sure of that."

"Mephisto - I still don't trust that guy."

"Yeah, but he might be the only one we can trust right now."

"What about Yukio?"

"Okumura?"

"Yeah, he's a full fledged exorcist, right? He seems pretty capable - he could at least tell us what's going on in Japan with the Order."

Shura growled, frowning and tapping her finger listlessly on the table, "I didn't want to have to involve that four-eyed punk, but you're right."

Logan leaned back, allowing himself to wallow in his small victory - Shura Kiragkure had admitted he was right.

* * *

Yukio stood before the cram school students, voice monotonously droning on with the lesson. He had snapped into autopilot mode yesterday, going through the motions of his daily duties while furiously trying to figure out what was going on in New York with Rin.

"Uh...Mr. Okumura?"

"Yes, Shima?" he answered, hardly conscious of his own voice. He had to be careful about how he went about investigating this. If the Order found out, he would be in deep trouble. Not to mention he could lead them right to Rin.

"There's a...a snake…"

"Mm-hmm," he replied distractedly, then snapped out of his thoughts when Shima's words actually registered.

"A snake?"

He spun around to see a shimmering snake transposed of transparent green light slither out from an air vent, make it's way across the floor to his desk, then climb up one of the legs to coil up on his notes.

"Yukio Okumura?" the light-snake hissed while everyone looked on with wide eyes. For a moment Yukio was taken aback, but he still answered, "Yes?"

"Yukio! I didn't want to call you, but things are getting messy over here," the snake opened its mouth, but the voice that followed this time was much more familiar.

"Is that...Kirigakure-san?" Konekomaru asked, and Yukio felt his shoulders slump. Great.


	14. Chapter 14

"Shura?"

"Yeah, it's me, genius! Now listen up - this spell doesn't last long. Logan stole the heart shard of Okuninushi - it's here with us at the school. Okuninushi wants it back, and he's sending all sorts of demons after us. We've set up barriers for now, but we need some help."

Yukio blanched as he took in the information. Another god? One that could control demons on a whim. Suddenly a terrible thought occured to him.

"Is Rin alright?"

"Yeah, Rin's fine. But he won't be for long unless you do something!"

"What am I supposed to do? Without help from the Order there's not much a few exorcists alone can do."

"Figure something out! I'll contact you again when I can - the spell's almost up."

"Wait!" Yukio slammed his hands on the desk, yelling at the shimmering snake - but in the next instant the creature vanished into thin air. Gritting his teeth, he wanted to turn around and punch a wall. Instead, he straightened up and adjusted his glasses.

"Sorry about that interruption."

"Okuninushi? What was she talking about?" Shiemi asked in trepidation.

"That idiot's gotten himself into trouble again," Bon muttered, while Konekomaru looked worried.

"This is bad, isn't it? If Okuninushi is trying to get his heart back, everyone at the school is in danger."

Yukio clenched his fists. Damn it, Shura. What was he supposed to do?

Whatever he did, he had to keep his promise. He had to protect Rin.

But how exactly was he supposed to do that?

* * *

Rin closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing. Slow and steady. Charles was sitting across from him, voice low and soothing.

"Center your mind, Rin. I know you probably have a million thoughts racing around that head of yours, but try to focus on one thing. Let your muscles relax, use all your energy to focus your mind…"

Rin squeezed his eyes closed, thickening the darkness behind his lids. Phosphenes danced in his blindness, but the darkness cleared away as he focused on one image. He pictured the sweet pea flower Shiemi had given him before he left Japan. It was simple, easy to focus on, and it made him feel a little braver, because frankly he was terrified at the moment. After having Iha-naga invade his mind and take control of him, then Logan completely shutting him down just the other day, he was reluctant to let someone enter his mind.

"Are you ready?" Xavier asked, and Rin nodded.

"I think so."

_Rin, can you hear me?_

Rin flinched as Charles' voice spoke from within his own mind, echoing about like a memory.

_Stay calm, Rin, everything's alright. I'm not going to hurt you._

Rin lost track of his slow, steady breathing, and his heart began to race. Still, he listened to the voice in his head and tried to remain calm. The image of Shiemi's flower was fracturing, though, and more unpleasant memories were leaking through. He tightened his grip on the arms of the chair as footage from Mt. Fuji unreeled, spilling through his brain - running through the woods, slashing at yurei, being swallowed up by the ground, the unnerving sensation of his limbs being moved by some force other than himself. And of course, he saw his bright blue flames blasting into Logan, digging into his flesh.

_Rin, you have to take control of your thoughts!_

Blue flames were roaring through his memories now - flashes of Shiemi, Bon and the other staring at him in his horror as he roared and thrashed in the thrall of his own power. Yukio regarding him with hate on the first day of cram school as he drew his sword. Shiro, bleeding from the eyes - eyes that reflected the blue flames of Satan - dying in front of Rin.

Then suddenly another image flashed through his mind - Shiemi smiling at him as they sat in her garden, Bon and the other gathered around a campfire, complimenting Rin on his cooking, the priests from the monastery clapping him on the back.

_See, it's not all bad, Rin. _ Charles voice was soft and gentle, pulling Rin from his repetitive nightmares. _Our first lesson is going to be overcoming your fears. Fear isn't evil, and it isn't weakness. You can still be afraid when you fight, it just makes you that much braver._

"_What do you want me to do?"_ Rin thought, feeling strange talking to a voice inside his own mind.

_If you want to learn to combat telepathic attacks, or mind control, I think you must first conquer your fear of it. You need to open your mind._

"_I did open my mind - you're in my mind right now," _Rin answered, although he was pretty sure what the Professor really meant.

_But even now you're guarded. Logan was right, Rin - I think part of the reason you were so easily overcome is that you have no faith in yourself. Even now you're putting up guards in your mind, against me - against yourself. I know you've always had to be on the defense, to protect yourself - you think you're alone, when the only thing separating you from your loved ones is yourself. You need to let all that go. _

"_I don't know what you mean!"_

_Just let your fears slip away. Open up your 're safe here, Rin._

Rin frowned, concentrating. He didn't quite get it, but at the same time he knew what the Professor was talking about. With a deep breath, he relaxed and let his mind drift. When his thoughts ran into something unpleasant, rather than recoil he allowed his mind to take it in, but not dwell on it. He felt like he was in that moment right before one drifts off to sleep, when their mind is caught in the space between waking and dreams - when the normal guards fell away and left one vulnerable. All the fear and guilt and loneliness was there, but he didn't let it overtake him. He let it exist alongside the happiness and love.

"I think I'm getting this," he murmured out loud.

He felt like his mind was expanding - he could feel something; at first he thought it was Xavier's presence, but he realized he could feel multiple presences.

"_What are these?"_

_This is amazing...it's like the power of Cerebro, except you're doing it, Rin. _ Charles answered, although Rin also got the impression the professor was thinking to himself. _But that's impossible. You're not a telepath - you can't access the minds of other people._

"_Well, I have used telepathy before...but it was with demons."_

Suddenly Rin's eyes popped open - he realized what those other presences he felt were - demons. Hundreds of demons, just outside the school.

_Rin, calm down! _

"Those are demons, Professor!"

He tried to close his mind up, to block off the minds of the demons, but even now he could still sense them. And he could sense something else - something stronger, something darker, flowing towards them like a dark cloud on high winds. In the next moment the dark presence had flowed into his mind, and Rin felt the cold creeping through his entire body.

_Rin! _He heard the Professor's voice, but he couldn't tell if it was in his mind or if he was actually hearing it. He thought his eyes were open, but all he could see was darkness. It was worse than Iha-naga; whoever this was was bigger. Stronger. Colder.

_Oh come on, Rin Okumura. Surely you must know who I am?_

"Okuninushi," Rin whispered, the name echoing through the vast night he found himself floating in. Strange floating lights drifted past - at first he thought they were stars, but after a moment they looked more like lightning bugs lazily droning through the air. Mist was spilling in from somewhere, carrying the ancient god's words on its icy breath.

_Don't worry, I won't be staying for long. I just needed a way in. Your friends' spells were well laid; as the god of magic, I was personally gratified. But you didn't plan to keep me away with spells and wards, did you? I'm not some paltry demon, and I'm not some sad, jealous goddess with a sibling rivalry. I am Okuninushi, god of the spirit world, of all things hidden and secret. Pleased to make your acquaintance. I do hope we meet again soon, Rin Okumura, Son of Satan. _

Rin couldn't answer; but he didn't have to. In the next moment he felt the god tearing out of his body, ripping away from his mind and screaming out into the mansion. Rin slumped in his seat - he felt the god's presence leave his body and flee out into the office, then blast through the window, shattering glass all over the floor.

"Rin! Rin, are you alright?"

Rin shuddered back to life, responding to the Professor gently shaking him by the shoulder. Shaking, he jumped out the chair, toppling it to the ground and pressing himself against a nearby wall.

"What happened?"

"The god...Okuninushi...he's here."


	15. Chapter 15

Shura's spell had just ended, and she and Logan were walking into the hallway when it happened. He couldn't describe specifically what _it_ was, except more than a moment of dark and cold sweeping across their bodies, ripping out all sense of comfort and ease. It was over in less than a second, but he slumped against the wall as soon as it was over, feeling light -headed. Glancing over, he saw Shura in a similar state, kneeling on the floor and clutching her arms as if trapped in a blizzard.

"What the hell was that?" she asked, voice a little shaken.

Logan lifted his eyes, looking in horror at the few students that been milling around at this early hour - they too were slumped to the ground, shaking their heads or shivering.

There was the sound of thudding feet behind them, and Logan whirled around, claws out - only to see Rin slide to a stop behind him, eyes wide with panic.

"Rin! What's going on?"

"Okuninushi...he found a way in!"

"He what?" Shura was quickly on her feet again, grabbing Rin by the shirt and trying to shake a more satisfactory answer out of him, "How the hell did he break past our barriers already?"

"I don't know! I think...it was my fault…"

"I think the fault was mine," Charles had appeared around the corner, gliding towards them in his chair, "I was trying to help Rin overcome his fear of telepathy, and I advised him to open up his mind...apparently the god took advantage of that."

Shura growled, "Yeah, apparently. Way to go, grampa."

Charles grimly surveyed his students strewn through the hallway, who were just no regaining their footing and looking around in confusion, wondering what had just happened.

"So Okuninushi did this?"

Shura whipped out her sword, "If his mere presence walking by can do this, then he's gonna be one hell of a pain to take down."

Rin gritted his teeth, "Don't worry, I'll take him down…" The ferocity in his voice was definitely real, but Logan couldn't help but notice the way his fists were shaking or that he looked a little paler than usual.

"We'll all take him down, together," Logan said, but Shura looked unimpressed with this declaration.

"Good luck with that. It will take a lot more than the few of us to take that god down."

There was a whoosh of air, then suddenly Kurt appeared, looking worried.

"Something strange is happening again - several of the students just fainted…"

"It appears the school is under attack," Charles said, and Nightcrawler's eyes went wide.

"What? By who? Is it...Magneto?"

"Someone a lot worse than that, I'm afraid," Shura said, "You're a teleporter, right? Can you take us to the edge of the school property?"

Nightcrawler looked uncertainly at Charles, who nodded.

"Alright - everyone has to be touching, though. Hold on tight," he held his hands out, and in the next moment they stumbled slightly as they appeared at the gates of the school, rustling trees casting shifting shadows on the peaceful road leading towards the mansion.

"There's nothing here," Nightcrawler observed, but Logan, Shura and Rin were staring ahead of them in horror.

The barrier Shura and Yukio had put up was holding strong, but on the other side demons were piling up, slathering at the mouth and hissing, glowing eyes fixed on the small group of humans just out of their reach.

"Fuck," Logan stated flatly. This was more than any of them had ever seen, even more than on Mt. Fuji.

"Logan!" he turned around to see where the voice was coming from, to see Yukio running towards them from the mansion, banged up and bleeding.

"Yukio! What happened?"

She opened her mouth to shout an answer back, but some invisible force suddenly threw her aside, sending her crashing into a nearby tree before she crumpled to the ground. Beside Logan, Rin suddenly tensed up - little flames prickling up across his arms and shoulders.

Shura sensed something too, dropping into a fighting stance. Even Charles and Kurt seemed to feel something change in the air. All their eyes were fixed on the road, waiting for whatever was coming. Behind them, the demons pushing against the magical barrier began to howl.

"There he is!" Rin shouted, but Logan still didn't see anything. In the next moment, however, some incredible picked their entire group up and flung them aside. Logan remembered flying through the air and crashing head first into the ground. He felt his neck snap like a twig, then everything went black.

With a groan and a fowl curse, he woke up a few minutes later. He really hated dying. Body aching, he rose up on all fours and surveyed the scene - his friends lay scattered around him, their bodies still. As for the god, Logan could see him now; although he looked more like a shadowy smudge of mist or smoke than a corporeal body. He was standing at the gate, quietly murmuring something in a strange language; the magical barrier was glowing golden, mysterious runes and symbols floating through the air, shifting and sliding around as the god spoke. On the other side, the demons were going batshit crazy.

"Ah, you're awake."

At first Logan thought the god was talking to him, but then he saw Rin sway to his feet, sword drawn, ensconced in his blue flames.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm dismantling this annoying barrier - it's even hindering my magic. Even though I'm a god, I still have to abide by the rules of spells and curses. Magic is much stricter than people realize."

"Why?" Rin demanded, gripping his sword tighter, "Why do you want to attack this school? They don't know anything about gods or demons!"

"I have a better question for you, Rin Okumura. Why do you stand with the humans? You're better than them - you're the Prince of Gehenna. You should rule over these petty beings, not live in fear of them."

"I don't fear demons!"

"I'm not talking about demons - I'm talking about humans."

"I'm not...afraid of humans…"

Okuninushi threw back his head and laughed, "Your mind served more than a mere gateway past the barrier, Rin. I saw your heart - the only thing you fear more than humans is yourself! That's no way for a prince to live!"

Logan was about to jump to his feet and charge the god while he was distracted by Rin - anything to shut that annoying mouth up. However, just as he began to stand, Nightcrawler appeared beside him, fingers to his lips. In the next moment, they were crouched on the floor of the mansion's foyer. Charles was sitting in a upholstered chair, several students gathered anxiously around the Professor.

"What are you doing? Take me back! Rin and the others are in trouble!"

"Okuninushi was taking down the barrier, Logan," a voice behind him said. He turned to see Yukio seated on a table, eyes weak as Storm wrapped a bandage around her head. He could see generous traces of blood where someone had tried to clean her wound, but it was obviously pretty bad. He was concerned for her, but at the moment his brain was still at the gate, staring down the god, Rin, and a seemingly infinite army of demons.

"We can't leave Shura and Rin there alone!"

"I'll go get them!" Kurt volunteered, vanishing. In the next second, a shockwave shook the room they were standing in, rattling the windows and sending any pictures on the walls or unsecured ornaments crashing to the floor. Several people lost their balance and fell to the ground, crying out as the invisible blastwave washed over them, making their ears ring.

"What the hell was that?"

"The barrier...it's come down."

Logan looked outside, but everything looked peaceful and calm. For now.

Suddenly Kurt reappeared, being supported by Shura. He was bleeding, and a small goblin was gnawing on his leg. It jumped off and scampered towards Logan, who slashed it to bits with his claws.

"What happened to him?"

"He appeared right as the demons came rushing in - he was attacked, and only just managed to get me out in time," Shura explained, laying the injured teleporter on the table beside Yukio.

"What about Rin?"

Shura looked grim, "I...I lost sight of him. We have to move fast - they're coming."

One of the younger students began to cry, "What's happening?"

"Yeah - what are you talking about, demons?"

"Are we under attack?"

Logan looked around in dismay - this was a school full of kids. They weren't ready for a battle, let alone against a supernatural enemy they couldn't even see. For a moment, he met Shura's eyes - and the look she gave him said it all. They should have gone to the Order while they still could. Even more, Logan felt a twang of guilt - if he had turned the heart shard over to Mephisto, this all could have been avoided.

It was too late to think about that, though.

"Alright - everyone head to the underground bunker! Where's Pyro? We'll need as many fighters as we can get."

Everyone started bustling around, kids rushing en masse to the supposedly top secret entrances to the underground facilities. That didn't leave them with much. Yukio was injured, Kurt was out, and he wasn't sure if Charles could help much. Pyro, who could see demons, was nowhere to be found.

"Logan! We want to help!"

Bobby, Kitty, and Colossus were standing in front of him, looking determined.

"Me too," a deep voice said, and a young man with a broad pair of wings on his back approached the group as well. Logan blinked in surprise - he vaguely remembered this guy, but he didn't know he had decided to stick around with the X-men. He really had missed a lot these past couple of years.

"I don't know, kids. This is even out of my league," he muttered uncertainly. They had grown in the time he had been gone, but they were still so young.

"We're not leaving, so just tell us what to do," Kitty declared, crossing her arms across her chest. There was the sound of distant shrieking, and Logan glanced out the window to see the first of the demons coming over the hill. They were running out of time, and kids were still scrambling around the mansion in a panic. Not to mention, Rin was still out there somewhere.

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice."


	16. Chapter 16

Rin watched in horror as the barrier protecting the school collapsed and the demons came flooding in. With a roar, he slashed his sword and tried to incinerate a good chunk of the creatures, but his flames instead crashed into an invisible wall, curving up towards the sky before dissipating.

"I'm not just taking the spell down, Rin - I've reversed it. The barrier that your friends set up is now containing only you."

For a moment a circle of glowing golden glyphs lit up around Rin before fading into the ground once again. Screaming, Rin released his flames with all his might. They shot out from every surface of his body, instantly vaporizing the grass under foot and slamming against the walls of his invisible prison like a fiery hurricane. The massive amount of flames superheated the inside of the force field like an oven gone haywire, the angry blue fires swirling up past the trees like a tornado. The moisture in the soil under Rin's feet evaporated, dry dust turning to ashes and creating a dark cloud around him as his flames continued to rage inside the magic circle.

Okuninushi merely watched with a bemused expression as the flames died out and the embers settled back to the ground. Rin remained standing in a small blackened crater, but otherwise nothing had changed.

Growling, Rin pounded against the force field, "Why are you doing this?"

Okuninushi was now fully corporeal. And a lot less terrifying that Rin had imagined him to be.

He looked like a normal dude, wearing a fancy suit and skinny tie. If it hadn't been for his eyes, which were solid black, Rin would have thought he was just another human. His eyes, and the majorly creepy vibes this guy was emitting.

"So you won't run off and help your little friends. Even if you insist on binding your powers within that sword, the son of Satan is still a force to be reckoned with."

"That's not what I meant! Why are you attacking the school?"

Okuninushi continued as if Rin hadn't spoken, "Of course, I could follow Iha-naga's example and use my power to control you…"

The blood drained from Rin's face.

"...but that's rather crude and undignified, isn't it? That's no way to treat a Prince of Gehenna."

"I'm not your Prince," Rin snarled, but his hands were trembling slightly.

"You can deny it all you want, but it's in your blood. The sooner you accept who you really are, the more powerful you will become. Aren't you tired of constantly being afraid? Or hiding from those you call friends? Family?"

Okuninushi seemed to change into a shadow, flowing across the ground like water, then suddenly regaining form inches away from Rin's face.

"Stop pretending! Wake up, and take control!"

Rin jumped back in surprise, stumbling into the other side of the magical barrier. The whole circle was only a few feet in circumference.

In the distance, Rin could hear screams as the demons began attacking the school. Dark clouds began to form overhead, a surprising amount of lightning crackling within the storm. It was impressive - but no matter how powerful Logan and his friends were, could they really win a battle against a horde of demons led by a god?

"You still haven't answered my question! Why are you attacking the school?"

"Well, first of all - I want my heart back. The fool Iha-naga lost it to a mere human. He shall pay for that. Imagine my excitement when I found out the son of Satan was here as well - this has been quite the find. But more than that, my Prince - your father is a failure."

Rin was a little shocked - he had never heard any demon speak of his father with such contempt.

"He can't even enter this world for more than a few minutes at a time - and the one time he managed to find a worthy vessel he got entangled with your mother instead of taking care of these petty exorcists. You all fear Satan for the Blue Night massacre, you think that was a frightening display of power; that was nothing more than a half-assed, desperate play at the last minute. Satan could have done so much more...yet still he allows his subjects to be killed and tortured by the likes of these measly exorcists. He's no King."

Okuninushi looked down at Rin with a sickening grin, "That's why I'm here. Look what I've done!"

He flung his arms out wide, the wind from the sudden storm whipping his long dark hair about, the cracking lightning illuminating his frightening smile in flashes.

"The demons that Satan allowed to run amok, I have organized into an undefeatable army! Soon demons shall be more than a fable to the humans of Assiah, and I will be more than a forgotten god. Gehenna and this world shall be mine, and I will take that bastard Satan off his throne. You would like that, wouldn't you?"

"What?"

"I've been inside your head, remember? You want to defeat Satan as much as I do."

"But I don't want to kill humans!"

"We can negotiate the terms later. Haven't you ever thought about how exactly you were going to defeat Satan? Take your rightful place as Prince in Gehenna - not to serve Satan, but to overthrow him. With your power, and my army of demons…"

Rin clenched his fists, "What makes you think I would ever agree to work with you when your army of demons are attacking my friends right now?"

Okuninushi shrugged, "Just think about it. What is more important - defeating Satan, or these so called friends of yours? Join me, and you no longer have to live in fear of either."

Rin gritted his teeth, then spun around with a shout and tried to slash his way out of the barrier- it was like beating at a mountain. He fell to his knees, angry and ashamed. First, controlled by Iha-naga; now he was locked up like a dog in its cage. Was he really this weak?

Storm's lightning and thunder was still raging in the sky, drowning out whatever screams might have been coming from the mansion. When his friends really needed his help, he was useless. As always. He glanced at Okuninushi, who was staring into space with a calculating expression.

_Your bloodline destines you to be Prince of Gehenna, but you make your own destiny. Take care that you choose the right path._

Konohana's words came back to him as his fingers clutched at the charred ashes beneath him. He thought he had been making the right choice by going to True Cross, becoming an exorcist - but wasn't that just letting Yukio and Mephisto choose his destiny for him? What if his path lay elsewhere…

He shook his head - he couldn't afford to think like that! He needed to get out of here! A particularly loud crack of thunder snapped him out of his thoughts. He knew Storm was still alive - but what about the others?

* * *

Bobby could see them now. They had all received temptaints - which he thought was a strange term for getting his ass kicked by an invisible demon, but whatever. He blasted a weird monkey-looking creature with ice, then swirled around a clocked something that looked like a giant bat with a frozen fist. A few feet away, a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and fried some horrible giant monster into ashes. Logan and the others were fighting just as desperately, but there seemed to be no end to the demons. Everyone else was locked away inside the mansion's underground chambers, but Bobby doubted that would keep these monsters away for long.


End file.
